Life Under the "D"

Mid Winter.
The sunshine is deceiving.
It is still under 15 degrees, and may stay that way for at least another month.

As I sit at my computer, enjoying the warmth of the wood stove and the sun shining through my window, I look up and see the "D". 

The constant that never changes, and sometimes you can even make it out through the frozen snow. But not today.

Once again we are in the grip of cold winter weather, dreaming about summer.

The days in our little town are filled with busyness. In actuality, everyone looking busy is freezing their rears off and in a hurry to get inside and warm up. But hey, it looks like we are a town full of purposeful busyness.
And, some people actually are.

I should be. 
I need to go check the cabin and make sure it is ready for our next group of guests. But I'm not.
I should be re-checking my seed order and getting ready to plan the garden plot. But I'm not.
I should be finishing the laundry. But I'm not.

Instead, I am sitting here with the warmth of a fire and sunshine streaming through my windows staring at "D" mountain.

Briefly, very briefly, I think about making plans to climb it again this coming summer. I remember well the hike up the the hill, constantly looking for rattle snakes, sweating under the hot sun, then finally sitting under the white painted rocks that form the "D" we all love. But, sanity returns, and I ignore the urges to take that hike while it is still cool. I'm not completely crazy! (I do remember watching as my children made the climb, while I watched happily below!)

I think it is a right of passage to climb the mountain for people who live here. New comers to town always do it in their first few weeks, and vow, never again. Many sit at the bottom, and stare, shaking their heads when we they spot someone trying the hike. 

As kids, we rode our horses up there. Pretending we were looking over our personal and private kingdom. From there, we were sure we were seeing the whole world. We were able to see all over the valley, which was our whole world. We would pick out landmarks. The screen at the drive-in outside of Monte Vista, the rocks of La Garita, the sand dunes, and even Alamosa. 

From there we could see the cars that looked like ants, and the farms that dot the valley floor. We could sing, like we often did, and think everyone below had to be listening to our sweet voices. (okay, maybe not sweet, but we could sing, and we believed everyone in our world loved listening to us.)

Today, I just want to be lazy. I don't want to rush around outside in the cold. I don't want to fold clothes. I don't want to do any summer planning. Today, I just want to sit here in the warmth and enjoy living life under the "D."

California

I love California.
No really, I do.
I think of all the places in this world, California is close to my idea of heaven.
I know, there are plenty of things to hate about it. So many people, tall ones, short ones, ones who climb on rocks! Okay, obviously I'm regressing. (Yes, that was the words from an old commercial! If you know where it came from I will send you something special!)
But there are so many wonderful things to love.
I love the ocean!
I love the taste of salt on my lips after walking on the sand. I love the way the water feels, even when it is icy cold. I love the slimy feel of sea weed against my ankles. I love the feel of the wet sand.
Yeah, I love it!
Nathaniel and I took my parents on our vacation last month.
We chose California because:
1. Nathaniel had never been there before.
2. We wanted warmth.
3. We have relatives there we can stay with, thus getting rid of the need for costly hotels.
4. We just wanted to.

Nathaniel liked it. He liked the palm trees, the thought of really big fish in the water, the food.
He did not love the ocean like I do. I do stress like. He didn't love it, not any of it.

It was perfectly warm. Even when it rained, it was perfect. 
We stayed with my aunt, who now lives in a small apartment.

My parents slept on the futon. Nathaniel and I had cots. (Nathaniels' was in the kitchen, literally just large enough for a cot, he could wash dishes and cook a meal without ever leaving the cot! Mine was in the hall, I could answer the door and had control of all the lights!) After the 4th night, hotels sounded heavenly, regardless of the cost.
We didn't do all the big touristy things. 
No, we did not go to Disney Land. We went to the Disney shopping center instead!
We didn't go to Knots Berry Farms. 
We did go to the Port of Los Angeles. In fact, since my Aunt lives a few short blocks away, we saw it daily, out her window. 
We went to the Korean Friendship Bell.

We went to the beach! (Minus swim suits, some people have no sense of adventure!)

We did have a really good time.

And, we returned home, in the middle of a snow storm.

At that moment, I wanted to turn around and run to the beach as fast as I could!

I love the beach. As winter days get shorter, and nights colder and longer, I will dream of the beach.

I will lick my lips and pretend to taste salt.

I will close my eyes in the shower and pretend the wash cloth is slimy seaweed wrapping around my ankles.

I will look out my window, but instead of seeing a leafless cottonwood, I will envision palm trees.

Where there are mountains, I will see sand.

I am determined to remember the ocean. I may never see it again in this life...but Heaven,

well that is another story for another time!

Just another day....September

Have you ever had one of those days where your mind will not slow down...but your body won't move?

I have been having those since the leaves started changing...exactly on the first of Sept. 

First, I can't believe summer is over. Seriously, I missed it somewhere between moving into a 5th wheel camper to moving back home. So weird.
I know summer was here, but right now it just seems to have been a huge blur. 

I remember snippets of a few days. I know there was an entire movie crew camping at the resort, although, I couldn't tell you about any of them alone from the fact that I thought they had terrible bathroom manners. 

I know the 4th of July came and went. I remember a parade, getting tons of beads and a few pieces of candy. No fireworks, it was too dry and risky to set them off.

I know August was hot. 

Mostly, I remember all the things I had planned on doing, but have not accomplished one.

At the beginning of summer, I hauled totes full of  craft projects up to the resort. In my minds eyes, I saw me happily working on all my craft projects after work. For a few days, I had a little cartoon bubble above my head, full of pictures of the fabulous Christmas presents I would create during the summer nights. I had planned to be so proud of myself when fall arrived and I had all of the gifts finished, with nothing left to do but wrap.

HaHa!!
The cartoon bubble popped after about a week. Instead, in the evenings, I found myself looking at the clock, yearning for bed time to come. I remember asking Nathaniel if it was close enough to dark to go to bed. He always told me no. 

Honestly, this summer was about work, work, work, and work.

Yes, I got 2 days off each week, most of the time. The bad thing was that those 2 days were never together. One was spent doing laundry, shopping, and trying to get everything done so that on my next day off I could do it all again. The other day off, was, well, not a day off, I still had to take care of the cabins in South Fork, so those days found me driving to each of them, sometimes cleaning, sometimes yard work, sometimes...well, you get the picture. 

I am thankful that being over 50, I still have the ability and health to work 7 days a week. It seems that when I was a child, people who were 50+ were gray haired and walking with canes. And those were the healthy ones!

I am blessed that we had a nice trailer to stay in. I can't tell you the nightmares I had about that one! (For another post) 

I am able to say we have paid down a few debts, and plan on a late fall vacation to California.

But mostly, I'm plain old tired. 

Fall is here, and I have nothing finished, some I haven't even started, and I can forget about wrapping. I will be doing that the first couple of weeks of December, like I did last year!

My mind is still full of all I want to accomplish, but the body isn't willing.

Someone should have warned me about this stage of old age!!

My name is Melissa, and I am a VBS addict!

I love VBS!


I really do!


For those of you who don't know what that is:
Vacation-Bible-School


For me, summer isn't complete without VBS.
I enjoy having the church filled with screaming children.
I am pretty sure God enjoys that too.
I also enjoy the decorations, the bible stories,
the missionary stories.
I freely admit it, I love it all.


I have had the opportunity to work on the state VBS team for a number of years. Sounds cool? Well, it is. No, I don't get paid to do it. I do receive a t-shirt with the theme emblazoned on the front or back. I have been able to go to Glorietta for training. 
(Glorietta, the western Mecca for Southern Baptists)
I did get to go to a class led by the man who has written the music for VBS for years. 
And, I'm sad.
This is the last year Jeff Slaughter will be writing the music for VBS.
He has served the Lord lovingly and written the most beautiful, meaningful, active songs! Songs that set Lifeways VBS apart from all others. 


Living in a small town, makes it pretty easy to get star-struck.
The first time I met Jeff, I couldn't speak. I couldn't even move.
I just stood there, (No, thank God I didn't drool) and smiled.
I stood in his class, learning the songs, trying hard to do all the actions,
without looking like a total geek, and had so much fun I came home contagiously happy and excited! It was one of my best days.


You might ask what made me so happy?
Well, it wasn't because Jeff is hot. I mean, he is okay, just not my type.
(I prefer shorter balder type men named Nathaniel :-D)
It wasn't because the music was that great. It was good, but I couldn't tell you the songs now if you asked me.
It wasn't the free t-shirt, although I still have that.
It was because God was going to let me, little dorky, geeky, loud, obnoxious, silly, dumb, me, work with children and leaders around the state in VBS!
He chose me to be His hands, His feet, and His mouth to all kinds of different people.
It is such a humbling and honorable and mind numbing experience!
I will confess, every year I find myself asking God, "are You sure You want me?" I am constantly dumbfounded when He tells me, "Yes, I want you!"


Now, I'm nothing special. I really am a normal looking person. I'm not one of the beautiful people of the world. I have no fashion sense. In fact, I really do believe that t-shirts and clean jeans are pretty dressy for all the places I go. I just love God.


Over the last 30+ years, I have been able to work in VBS. I have taught bible study classes, Missions, Music and crafts. I have made and eaten countless cookies, and drank enough Kool-aide to make a small child have a sugar high for years!
I have been able to go to places like Honduras, the Navajo Reservation, and all over Colorado to teach in VBS, and yes, learn.
Serving God in this way is the ultimate fun for me!


VBS lets me picture God like this: Laying on His tummy in Heaven, Looking down at all the screaming children. Laughing as He watches the wonderful way they move to the music. His tongue sticking out with each child as they work patiently on a craft, or listening closely and sitting on the ground as they hear about missionaries from all over the world. Seeing God put His arms around little shoulders when they see themselves through His eyes, and telling them He loves them more than anyone ever could. 


My name is Melissa. I am addicted to VBS. I don't want a 12 step program to help me get through this one. I'm addicted for life!!

Waiting for spring

Waiting for Spring...
In many places, the snow is gone, and in the next few days people will be planting flowers, getting the ground ready to grow amazing plants...


But here at nearly 8,000 feet elevation in the beautiful San Luis Valley,
we wait. And wait. And wait.


It is now the beginning of mud and wind season.
We don't have spring.
We never have.
We have mud and wind.


The sun is getting a little higher in the sky, and looking out of my
now winter dirty windows, I see the promise of spring.


But it is a false hope. It never happens.


You know this the moment you step outside, into four inches of oozing mud,
feel the 40 - 60 m.p.h. winds, and you know it is still a long time until June.


I am spending my days, staring at wonderful seed catalogs. 
I can almost smell the wonderful scent of my lilacs, 
feel the cool green grass under my bare feet,
and taste the wonder of freshly made sun tea.


I admit, I have a serious case of cabin fever.
I yearn for a bathing suit and a beach.
I crave lunches of cheese, crackers, and fresh grapes.
I stare for endless amounts of time at my beach screensaver.
I wonder if I will look too orange if I use a fake tan spray.


Alas, I step through the mud, clean my shoes off in the snow,
and wait.


Summer is coming, and we will eventually be able to open a window
without fear of it freezing open.
We will eventually be able to use our four wheeler and venture into
the near by San Juan Mountains. 
Yes, dear people of the San Luis Valley,
We will persevere! We will conquer the mud and snow!
We will stand as the strong wind blows! 
We are Colorado Weather Warriors!!


But until then, anyone want a cup of hot tea and some pumpkin bread?
I'll put the boards out to cover the mud, and would you mind shoveling
some more snow on your way in?